You could not tell by the wide grin on the face NBA Commissioner David Stern's face that the league had one of the nastiest and contentious lockouts in history. Stern was even giddy at times, laughing when his microphone malfunctioned blaming it on questions asked about Dwight Howard being traded and the state of the Sacramento Kings. Stern began the Q & A session by praising the city of Orlando and the Magic organization.

"The city of Orlando has done wonders working with us to make this a memorable All-Star event." Stern went as far as saying he is looking for the city to host the event again in the future. Stern recognized the world-wide appeal noting that "we have 215 countries and territories in 45 languages." With over 1,800 media credentials issued, 336 of them were from foreign countries.

With the Howard issue and his possible trade before the deadline, Stern did not think Orlando should get more compensation because of his superstar status.

"We have a system that has a draft that basically tells a player where he's going to play in this league when he's drafted and a further system that has a huge advantage to the team that has him. I'm sure Dwight will make a good and wise decision for him."
Teams like Sacramento, Minnesota, New Orleans, New Jersey, Portland and Cleveland have issues of their own, while Seattle is trying to put a team back in that city.

"We have several remaining points that will not necessarily be guaranteed to be bridged," said Stern referring to the team getting a new arena.

The Timberwolves are having a surprisingly good year with the addition of Ricky Rubio. The team has 3 representatives in the All- Star weekend.

"I just think it's spectacular when teams that have been down have the opportunity to turn it around."

New Orleans is still reeling from the trade that wasn't a trade and then became a trade after Stern vetoed the initial deal. It got a little testy between Stern and a veteran reporter when the question was broached.

When asked if it was the right thing to do, Stern responded: "You've been around too long to phrase the question that way. I didn't veto anything. We are acting on the behalf of the owner's rep. New Orleans decided not to make the trade."

Reporter: "Well, whose decision was it to stop the trade?"

Stern: "There's no superstar that gets traded in this league unless the owner says, go ahead with it. In the case of New Orleans, the representative of the owner said that's not a trade we're going to make."

Reporter: "But wasn't that representative you?"

Stern: "Correct." They both sparred for the next couple of questions before Stern finished with, "I have no further questions for the witness."

Stern is hoping to get another franchise in Seattle, thinks the Nets move to Brooklyn will benefit both them and the Knicks and wants Portland to host an All Star week. Even though Cleveland has a 13-18 record at the break, the guy they drafted as a result of losing Le Bron James to free agency, Kyrie Irving is having an outstanding year. He was their #1 draft pick and Saturday night he was named MVP in the Rising Stars Challenge. Irving finished with 34 points on 12 of 13 shooting, nailing all 8 of his 3 point attempts.

Said Stern on Kyrie's play, "it's beautiful."

Jeremy Lin-Sanity has even caught the attention of Stern. "I think it's great for the league and great for Jeremy."

The National Football League should take notice of the NBA's All Star weekend. The NFL's Pro Bowl should do away with that game which is played the week before the Super Bowl. Most of the NFL stars do not participate in the game, where no defense is played because no one wants to tackle. They should adopt similar Skills competitions so their Super Stars can compete. In the Haier Shooting Stars event, Team New York, led by former Knick Allan Houston, defeated Team Texas scoring in 37.3 seconds. Houston hit both shots from half court to secure the victory.

"I didn't make my first in warm-up said Houston. "Fortunately, everybody made their shots and it gave us enough time to do it."

Tony Parkerof the Spurs took the prize in the Taco Bell Skills Challenge racing past Celtics Rajon Rondo and Nets Deron Williams.

"For me the bounce pass is key," he said. Parker was the only player among the 6 who participated to break 30 seconds in the first round.

In a surprise result, Kevin Long won the Foot Locker Three-point Contest over Kevin Durant. They had to go an extra session as both tied with 16 points in the second round. Long scored 17 points to 14 points for Durant in the tie break round. James Jones scored 22 points in the first round to top all but dropped off to on 12 points in the second round getting bounced.

The Sprite Slam Dunk contest was a battle of relatively unknowns. Derrick Williams (Minnesota), Paul George (Indiana), Jeremy Evans (Utah) and Chase Boddinger (Houston) all tried to one up each other with creative slams.

Williams jumped over a Harley Davidson motorcycle missing his first 2 attempts before slamming the last. George jumped over 2 teammates (Dante Joned and Roy Hibbard) as he pushed off Hibbard's left shoulder for a one handed slam. Evans started his winning night with a "Eye Cam" before getting help from teammate Ricky Rubio who bound the ball off the side of the backboard before completing a 360 degree windmill slam. He iced the victory by jumping over a guy sitting in a chair as 2 balls were tossed. Evans slammed each ball with his right and then his left hand. Boddinger not only jumped over P-Diddy but took a page from Cedric Cebballos and dunked backwards blindfolded. More than 3 million people voted for Williams.

Said Williams after being announced the winner, "no way was this possible. I felt like I was still dreaming. Just to come out and compete is fun."

The best players in the world take center stage Sunday night at the Amway Center. The East will be coached by Tom Thibodeau and the West by Scott Brooks of Oklahoma.

WATCH VIDEO: NBA Commissioner David Stern on the opening of the Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets

"It's beautiful, it's opening night, it's Brooklyn, we're very excited," said an enthusiastic David J. Stern, Commissioner, National Basketball Association, to What's The 411's sports correspondent, Andrew Rosario, about the Barclays Center, the new home of the former New Jersey Nets now Brooklyn Nets.

Expressing what it means to have the Nets in Brooklyn, Commissioner Stern stated, "It means that this very large city unto itself, known as Brooklyn is going to be a great addition to the NBA and a great competitor with the (New York) Knicks."

Commissioner Stern Reflects on Singular Moment of his Career

Approximately 10 days ago, Commissioner Stern announced that he would retire in 2014.

Reflecting on a single moment in his career, Commissioner Stern said that before he became commissioner "people said that this league would not survive because it was too black, and I am proud of America, I am proud of our players, and I am delighted that we have one of the most successful groups of young men earning on average $5 million apiece and being received with accolades around the world."

When questioned about the success of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA), Commissioner Stern stated, "they're great, maybe we can get a team here in Brooklyn so we could have a competition with the Liberty. ...It sets us apart, women's basketball we're going to be the major league that has a successful women's presence."

Noel Nerlens Falls to #6 & Gets Traded to Philly

The calm before the storm settled in at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY Thursday night as the NBA draft prospects sat with their families and mingled with reporters, teammates and agents. The draft picks groomed to a "T" and dressed in their Sunday's best, awaited David Stern to mark the podium for the first announcement. The "Green Room," designated for the draft prospects and their guests only looked like a first-grade class-- all attendees with their chins up, heads forward, hands on the table and all eyes on the teacher (Stern.) Nerlens Noel and Alex Len, two of the top prospects thought to be most likely to go 1 and 2, looked attentively, listening to Stern's announcement.

Boos belted out from the crowd, as Stern took the stage.

"With the 1st pick of the NBA 2013 draft, the Cleveland Cavaliers select (PAUSE) Anthony Bennett of Toronto Canada."

The crowd shocked, exploding with semi-excitement for the guy who sports analysts projected to go 4th or 5th.

Bennett, the 6-foot-8 forward and his family jumped to their feet.

The 20-year-old, who started playing basketball seven years ago told reporters that he was "just surprised as everybody else" for being picked No. 1.

"I didn't really have any idea who's going No. 1 or who was going No. 2. I heard everything was up for grabs. But I'm just real happy, glad that I have this opportunity, and I just got to thank God for the opportunity," he said.

After only one year at UNLV, Bennett becomes the second player at the university to be selected the top overall pick, joining Larry Johnson, who was drafted in 1991.

Bennett also becomes the first Canadian to get drafted as a No. 1 pick.

Too much surprise, Noel wasn't called No. 2, but Victor Oladipo is a guy Orlando fans are sure to fall in love with. Besides feeling delighted for being the second pick of the draft, the former Indiana guard said he's not sure if his family still knows "what's going on."

The Nigerian player also has a great singing voice, maybe he'll sing the National Anthem at one of the games.

After five picks in Thursday night's NBA draft, Nerlens finally heard his name called when the New Orleans Pelicans selected him with the sixth pick. He barely showed excitement, likely disappointed that five other picks were selected before him.

"I'm excited getting started with Anthony," Noel said after hearing his name called.

His stint with the Pelicans only lasted for about 30 minutes, after reports swirled that he'd been traded to the Philadelphia 76ers for Jrue Holiday and the NBA's 42nd pick.

Other fan favorites like Trey Burke, Otto Porter Jr, Cody Zeller and Michael-Carter Williams also nabbed NBA picks.

Basketball junkies at Barclays consisted of mostly Brooklyn Nets and New York Knicks fans, with Knicks guru Spike Lee in the audience. While the Nets selected Mason Plumlee of Duke, other fans seemed enthusiastic as the Knicks drafted Tim Hardaway Jr. (Not sure about how Tim Hardaway Sr. feels about the pick, knowing the former NBA player hates the Knicks, but I'm sure he's happy for his son nonetheless.)

On social media, the Nets seemed to have been the talk of the night, with rumors swirling that Kevin Garnett waived his no-trade clause, making room for the Boston Big Three trade that could send him, Paul Pierce and Jason Terry to the Brooklyn Nets for the package of players and draft picks.

See a complete list of the NBA drafts picks below.

FIRST ROUND
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1. Cleveland Cavaliers: PF Anthony Bennett, UNLV
2. Orlando Magic: SG Victor Oladipo, Indiana
3. Washington Wizards: SF Otto Porter Jr., Georgetown
4. Charlotte Bobcats: C Cody Zeller, Indiana
5. Phoenix Suns: C Alex Len, Maryland
6. Philadelphia 76ers (via New Orleans Pelicans): C Nerlens Noel, Kentucky
7. Sacramento Kings: SG Ben McLemore, Kansas
8. Detroit Pistons: SG Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Georgia
9. Utah Jazz (via Minnesota Timberwolves): PG Trey Burke, Michigan
10. Portland Trail Blazers: SG C.J. McCollum, Lehigh
11. Philadelphia 76ers: PG Michael Carter-Williams, Syracuse
12. Oklahoma City Thunder: C Steven Adams, Pittsburgh
13. Boston Celtics (via Dallas Mavericks): C Kelly Olynyk, Gonzaga
14. Minnesota Timberwolves (via Utah Jazz): SF Shabazz Muhammad, UCLA
15. Milwaukee Bucks: SF Giannis Antetokounmpo, Greece
16. Atlanta Hawks (via Dallas Mavericks, Boston Celtics): C Lucas Nogueira, Brazil
17. Atlanta Hawks: PG Dennis Schroeder, Germany
18. Dallas Mavericks (via Atlanta Hawks): PG Shane Larkin, Miami (Fla.)
19. Cleveland Cavaliers: SF Sergey Karasev, Russia
20. Chicago Bulls: SG Tony Snell, New Mexico
21. Minnesota Timberwolves (via Utah Jazz): C Gorgui Dieng, Louisville
22. Brooklyn Nets: C Mason Plumlee, Duke
23. Indiana Pacers: SF Solomon Hill, Arizona
24. New York Knicks: SG Tim Hardaway Jr., Michigan
25. Los Angeles Clippers: SF Reggie Bullock, North Carolina
26. Oklahoma City Thunder (via Golden State Warriors, Minnesota Timberwolves): SF Andre Roberson, Colorado
27. Utah Jazz (via Denver Nuggets): C Rudy Gobert, France
28. San Antonio Spurs: SF Livio Jean-Charles, French Guiana
29. Phoenix Suns (via Golden State Warriors, Oklahoma City Thunder): SG Archie Goodwin, Kentucky
30. Golden State Warriors (via Phoenix Suns): PG Nemanja Nedovic, Serbia
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SECOND ROUND
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31. Portland Trail Blazers (via Cleveland Cavaliers): SG Allen Crabbe, California
32. Oklahoma City Thunder: SG Alex Abrines, Spain
33. Cleveland Cavaliers: SG Carrick Felix, Arizona State
34. Houston Rockets: PG Isaiah Canaan, Murray State
35. Washington Wizards (via Philadelphia 76ers): SF Glen Rice Jr., NBA Development League
36. Sacramento Kings: PG Ray McCallum, Detroit Mercy
37. Detroit Pistons: F Tony Mitchell, North Texas
38. Philadelphia 76ers (via Washington Wizards): PG Nate Wolters, South Dakota State
39. Portland Trail Blazers: C Jeff Withey, Kansas
40. Portland Trail Blazers: PF Grant Jerrett, Arizona
41. Memphis Grizzlies: SG Jamaal Franklin, San Diego State
42. New Orleans Pelicans (via Philadelphia 76ers): PG Pierre Jackson, Baylor
43. Milwaukee Bucks: SG Ricky Ledo, Providence
44. Atlanta Hawks (via Dallas Mavericks): C Mike Muscala, Bucknell
45. Portland Trail Blazers: PF Marko Todorovic, Montenegro
46. Denver Nuggets (via Utah Jazz): PG Erick Green, Virginia Tech
47. Atlanta Hawks: PG Raul Neto, Brazil
48. Los Angeles Lakers: PF Ryan Kelly, Duke
49. Chicago Bulls: PF Erik Murphy, Florida
50. Miami Heat (via Atlanta Hawks): SF James Ennis, Long Beach State
51. Orlando Magic: PF Romero Osby, Oklahoma
52. Minnesota Timberwolves: PG Lorenzo Brown, North Carolina State
53. Boston Celtics (via Indiana Pacers): C Colton Iverson, Colorado State
54. Philadelphia 76ers (via Washington Wizards): PF Arsalan Kazemi, Oregon
55. Denver Nuggets (via Memphis Grizzlies): PF Joffrey Lauvergne, France
56. Detroit Pistons: PG Peyton Siva, Louisville
57. Phoenix Suns: C Alex Oriakhi, Missouri
58. San Antonio Spurs: SF Deshaun Thomas, Ohio State
59. Minnesota Timberwolves: PF Bojan Dubljevic, Montenegro
60. Memphis Grizzlies: SF Janis Timma, Latvia